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Black Order: Volume One
Category:Black Order (Earth-2004) Category:Fan Fiction Category:Novels Category:Earth-2020 Story Chapter 1: The Mission Begins My'' name is Corvus Glaive. It's a name that goes unknown by most. They don't scream it in fear when we come for them, they don't speak of it once the deed is done. To them, we are nothing more than extensions of our master, his attack dogs, his servents tasked with his bidding. I do not care that my name goes unknown, in fact I prefer it that way. It means that they fear me as a monster, emotionless and evil, with only one goal: To kill. And that, is a role that the Black Order can play well, very well indeed. But what are we more than that?'' ARFAN, SOVEREIGN BORDER PLANET "Hold the line!" A brave Sovereign trooper yelled, firing into the smoke that had arisen from the landing pad. He turned to his partner, who was shooting alongside him. "Contact Commander Marsha! Tell her we are under attack!" The trooper yelled. Before his teammate could even respond, a spear imapled itself in his chest. A slim figure lunged forwards, pulling the spear from the troopers chest, and curving it in an arc, taking down the other trooper. The figure held her spear tight, and surveyed the carnage. More troops were on their way no doubt. "Enjoying yourself Proxima?" A almost mocking voice called. "Greatly so Corvus" Proxima Midnight replied, flicking her blue hair back so it tucked in behind her two horns. Corvus flashed a fanged grin and laughed, as an explosion went off behind him. Corvus Glaive didn't flinch at the bang, or the blast of heat and energy that blew past him, making his black cloak flow like a cape in the wind. Corvus swung his galive round, imapling a Sovereign Hound. The Hound fell with a low growl. "Shall we continue this glorious slaughter my wife?" Corvus asked Proxima. Proxima didn't need to reply. She never did. After all, they both knew the answer. With a combined roar of glee, the pair lunged into the fray, unhindered by ineffective attacks against them. But Corvus could see someone else had already gotten ahead. He just had to follow the trail of crushed bodies. Up ahead, a Sovereign was flung into the air, and our the base doors, right over the heads of Corvus and Proxima. The culprit had already made it inside the base, and was playing the role on a one man demolition team. Cull Obsidian swung his chain hammer into yet another row of helpless troops. Their plasma blasts bounced harmlessly off Cull's impenetrable skin, or simply dissipated apon contact. Then, Obsidian would greet his attempted killer with a swift swing from his deadly Chain Hammer. For a long time, Obsidian had collected the skulls of his most dangerous foes, but when it got to a point where he had too many on his belt, he had to stop. "Cull!" Glaive called out. "Leave some for us will you?" Cull grunted as he transformed his Chain Hammer into a blaster, and blew down the next set of golden doors. "You were taking too long! Besides, we haven't been given this amount of fun in years!" Obsidian turned the blaster back into its Chain Hammer form and ran forwards though the new opening he made. As Proxima and Glaive cut down the few troops Cull had left for them, Proxima noticed something. "We're missing somebody" Midnight said. "Where is Ebony Maw?". As his most trusted servent, one might say I have a certain special connection to my father. I would agree with whomever said that. I do believe that should it come to it, my father would trust me above all others to fulfil my mission. In all my many years at his side, watching billions fall at his mighty hand, I have never once failed him, never returned empty handed, and never bearing the shame of defeat. The same cannot be said for my siblings. Corvus is a strong, calculated Military leader, the most valient patriotic being to ever grace my fathers armies. They follow him as their saviour, they holy god, and I must admit, it inspires so much in them. '' ''As for Proxima, she never left Glaive's side, insuring our prized Militery commander never falls, which even if he did, he could return. Corvus has a special bond to his glaive, more connected than any other I have seen to their weapon. His life forced is tied to it, so as long as long as his glaive is intact, he cannot die. It's a rather unique and helpful spell, but I cannot take full credit for its creation. That leaves Cull Obsidian, our prized war machine. Based on the body count alone, it's easy to make clear where Cull's strength lies. This has almost become a habit of mine, taking to myself. For whatever reason, by words affect others in various ways, but never myself. For the only ears that do not hear my machinations are my own. Perhaps I am immune. Perhaps I have done this or so long I am resistant to my own black tongue. I have been called many things, but I know who I am. My name is Ebony Maw. "Hear me, and rejoice" Ebony Maw declared, as he stood alone in front of Soveregin Border Commander Marsha, and her elite guard. "You are about to die, at the hands to the children of Thanos. Take solace in knowing that your pitiful lives are donated towards a cause that shall strengthen the Galaxy". Maw's words were smooth and silky, but carried a cold ominous weight, less like a delacration, more of a warning. His voice almost didn't match his appearance, a grey skin accompanied by clumps od white hair, and milky blue eyes, that always glared intently at their target. "We do not fear you, nor will we ever" Commander Marsha barked. Maw smiled. "We is a very broad term, considering how few of your remain alive" Marsha burned with rage. "Kill him!" She yelled. Her elite guard drew swords and charged, but Maw had been expecting it. His word had worked, and he had angered Marsha enough to make a very foolish decision. Maw rose into the air, and Marsha backed away in shock. She hadn't been expecting the child of Thanos to possess telekinesis, and defiantly not that strong. The guards showed no fear, until Maw lifted one into the air and flung him across the room into computer setup, which lit up with a bright explosion. Just then, Corvus Glaive, Proxima Midnight and Cull Obsidian burst in, and in seconds, Marsha's elite gaurd was in pieces at her feet. Marsha looked up at the quartet, a mixture of anger and fear in her eyes, as if she didn't know wether to scream in rage, or panic. "Why send you?" She said. "Thanos could have come here himself". "If it were Thanos instead of us, things would be far worse for you" Proxima warned. "Maybe so, but Arfan cannot be that important to Thanos if he is not here". "Our father has many worlds to take and many to free from the clutches of death" Corvus said. "We are here in his place, we are the Children of Thanos, we are the Black Order". "You call this 'saving'?" Marsha yelled. "Look around, you saved nothing! All I see are the dead!". "That was our mission" Obsidian grunted. "Destroy this base, and get the information our father wants from it" "And what would he ever want from us?" Marsha spat. "We have reason to believe Arfan recently had a visitor, one of great connection to Thanos" Maw said calmly. "We know you made contact with him, so you should know where he is going next". "I have no idea what you are talking about" Marsha claimed. "Oh but you do, but he likely swore you to secrecy. He wouldn't want Thanos knowing where he ran off too, but Thanos has been looking for him for a long time. That is our mission. To find what Thanos lost; his heir" Marsha's eyes widened. "Thanos had a- no, that's impossible!, you lie!". Maw knelt down in front of Marsha. "I am not someone who would lie without reason" Ebony said. "Where is he? You know that if we cannot get it from you, maybe those on your homeworld will tell us, though the civilian's that would die in the process would be unfortunate". "Fine"! Marsha snapped. "He spoke of heading to the moon Toria, in the Bellapi system, taking some secret cargo with him there". Maw smiled sarcastically and stood up, walking back from Marsha. "Thank you Commander" Maw said, as Corvus swung his blade. "It was an absolute pleasure talking to you". "What now?" Cull asked, looking up from Marsha's corpse. "Now we return to Thanos" Corvus said. "And we tell him that his son has been found". Chapter 2: The Son of Thanos SOVEREIGN, CAPITAL WORLD Queen Ayesha of the Sovereign sat on her throne, reading the new report from her scout team she sent to the base on Arfan. Marsha was dead, the base had been completely destroyed, and the few operating scanners detected a light craft leaving Arfan after the destruction of the base. Ayesha had made many enimes in her time as queen, but never ones that would dare destroy a Sovereign base. Even so, she could not act directly, as she was facing issues over uprisings on her homeworld and others under Sovereign control. Ayesha debated what to do, and decided the best way to take care of these attackers, was to get another to do it. "Make contact with the Kree Expansion Alliance" Ayesha ordered. As the connection was established, a tall, blue skinned Kree appeared on the screen. "Greetings, your majesty" the Kree said politely. "I wish to speak to the leader of The K.E.A" Ayesha said. The Kree nodded. "This branches head is coming now". The image changed, to show another figure. He had the appearance of a human, with pale skin, which although not uncommon among Kree, Ayesha disliked, as she had had a run in with an annoying human before. The figure was dressed in an armour of black and gold, with his helmet having streaks of red. "I am Captain Gla-Ree of the Kree Expansion Alliance" he said, "We understand you have had trouble on Arfan?" "Indeed Captain, I wasn't hoping you would be up to the task of assisting your valued allies in hunting down these terrorists who destroyed my base and killed my people". Gla-Ree smiled. "Happy to help, your majesty. Please send all the data you have on them, and we shall take it from here". Ayesha nodded, and sent the data though. "Good luck Captain". Ayesha then disconnected the call. Gla-Ree smiled. At long last, he would get his chance again. Looking at the data, he knew who these four were, and more importantly, who they served. "The Supreme Intelligence will likely disagree with this mission" the tall Kree said. "Even you, the mighty Captain Glory can't go against our leader". "What the Intelligence does not know, will not hurt it" Glory said. "For years I dreamed of the day where finally I could be more than I'm seen as, a forgotten failure who lost his team on a suicide mission. That's not who I am". "Even so Captain, your studies have proven fruitless, we will not find them both". Glory laughed. "That's because the K.E.A refuses to look. But this job offered, gives me the chance it need to complete the search, to be victorious at last". Glory looked at the Kree. "But first, I'm going to need a team of my own". SANCTUARY II, WARSHIP OF THANOS "This is Ebony Maw, hailing the Sanctuary II, please respond" Maw said, contacting the warship as he steered the Lightsbane closer. Built as their own private stealth vessel as an alter native to the loud and destructive Q-Ships, the Lightsbane was a well armed shuttle designed to get to worlds undected, equipped with an advanced cloaking device to fufil said task. "This is Chitauri Commander Destronus, you are clear for entry, welcome home children of Thanos" a voice replied. The Lightsbane moved in, and docked with the Sanctuary II. '' Thanos. A warlord who has ruled almost a thousand years, his stenght unmatched, his name feared in every corner of the universe. For most, his name means death, the very chance that he would one day attack a world kept that world on edge, the whisper of his name sparked fear, and when he took and trained us, Me, Glaive, Cull and Maw, we became his children, people he could care for, and raise as his own. We became his Black Order, feared almost as much as Thanos himself. When he took us, his first question was our names. I remember the day I was took, when I stood before Thanos for the first time, Maw already at his side. He asked me my name, I said it. 'Proxima' I said, and he declared me in that moment 'Proxima Midnight". I owed my name to him, as did the others. That changed with the newcomers years later, he never named Gamora, or Nebula. Maybe because his Black Order was already complete, his prized pupils had already graduated. Still, while many across the universe call Thanos the most feared and powerful,being in the universe, and I can agree, to me, he is father. He needs no other name.'' The cold, massive doors opened into Thanos' throne room. The Black Order entered, flanked by Outrider guards, snarling and spitting as always. These were the more violent Outriders, with six arms instead of the more common four. They stood back as the Black Order approached their father. Thanos sat on a throne of cold hard stone, his gold armour glinting in the limited light that slipped in from above. His helmet was curved at the back, and at the side of his throne, his duel bladed sword rested, a blade which had claimed many lives on many worlds. Today, Thanos was not dressed in his royal attire, but in his armour, as of he was once again preparing for war. "My children" he said, he voice carrying weight, but sounding sincere. The Order bowed. "Father the mission was a success" Proxima said. "We have the location of him. The Sovereign spoke, as you said she would". Thanos stayed sat on his throne. "Excellent work my children. What world is is heading to?" "Not a world, sire but a moon. Toria, located on the edge of the Bellapi system" Maw said, standing up. "We await your call of what we do next". Thanos looked down at the Black Order. "I know this must be hard with your connection to him sire" Maw said. "If you need time to decide-" "Enough Maw. I will make a decision, in time. Until then, wait until I call for you". Maw bowed, and he, Corvus, Proxima and Cull walked out of the throne room. Thanos watched them go, and almost wished he still had Gamora by his side. "You have served our father the longest Maw, what's going on?" Corvus asked, as the team walked down the long halls of the ship. "With What?" Maw inquired. "This son of Thanos he told us to get information on" Cull Obsidian said. "You seem to know a lot more than us about it, as far as I knew, us, Gamora and Nebula were the only children Thanos trained to still be alive". "That's because he was not trained by Thanos. He is the only biological child of our father, his only family, and heir to his empire". Maw responded. "He's a hybrid, part Titan, part Skrull, how it came about ind not know, but Thanos has spoke of his lost son, and even once I saw him myself. Thanos said he called himself Thane". "But surely if you saw him, he'd come to you. Thanos is his father" Proxima said. Maw shook his head in mild irritation. "Do you not understand? Thane hates Thanos, tries to protect petty worlds from Thanos' forces. The most likely choice our father will make, is command us to kill Thane, to kill his son". Chapter 3: Dealing in Darkness KNOWHERE, LAWLESS OUTPOST Few places in the galaxy offer a place to blend in, to go unseen, no matter who or what you are. Knowhere is one of these places. Besides being the residence of the famed Collector, Knowhere often falls under the radar of galactic law. Many patrons attend Skrulli's Bar, a place famous among the locals, but unknown ro anyone outside of Knowhere. A green Luphamoid sat at a bar table at Skrulli's, leaning back casually on his seat. The sound of the door opening awoke him from his thoughts. Turning to see who had arrived, he saw a tall figure in a brown travelling cloak. The cloaked humanoid walked up to the bar, and tapped the chair nearest to him three times. Skrulli, who was tending to the bar, turned around. "Welcome back pal. It's been a while". The cloaked figure nodded. "Indeed it has. Any special quests tonight?". Skrulli shook his head. "Nobody. Just us and them". "Perfect, that makes this so much easier" the cloaked figure sighed with relief. Nodding to Skrulli, he moved round to the green Luphamoid, who had been joined by another Skrull, one in a long dark trenchcoat, but wearing a hood over it. The cloaked figure sat down at the table. He looked over at the Luphamoid. "Hello Tex". The Luphamoid smiled. "Nice to see you Thane". The cloaked figure dropped his hood down, revealing purple skin, pointed ears, and bright yellow eyes. A smile curled round his pale thin lips. "We will be safe today, no bounty hunters this time" Thane said, looking over at a burly Kronan watching from a distance. "We decided that Knok should keep his distance. Big groups attract attension" Tex said. "Anyway, we have this guy". Tex put an arm round the Skrull, who looked at him distastefully and shrugged his arm off. Thane gave the Skrull a small smile. "Talos right? We haven't met". Thane extended his hand. Talos took it, and shook it. "So, the rumours are true, a son of Thanos" Talos said, a mixture of awe and caution. "When Tex told me who you were, I didn't believe it. Though you were one of Thanos' alien freaks. That Black Order lot" "We haven't been unlucky enough to run into them" Tex said. "Though I'm sure they are quite civilised people, scratch that, they are probally not". Talos looked confused at Tex. "Tex likes to sepak his mind" Thane said. "It's good he opened up. Years in the Contest of Champions serving the Grandmaster with Knok didn't do either of them any good. Now they live here, my personal informants" Thane told Talos. "I assume you will what to see what I found" Talos said, looking Cautiously round the bar. Thane just nodded, and they all stood up. Talos led them round the back of the bar, Knok following behind, until they reached a small room. "Found these guys stuck on a ship near the Skrullos system" Talos said. He whistled, and a small family huddled out, all Luphamoids. Tex looked at the newcomers in shock. "My people live" he said, looking over at the family. A mother, a father and a teen. Thane walked up to them, and knelt as a show of respect. "I cannot begin to imagine what you have been though" Thane told them, looking each in the eye. "But I can help, please, what are your names?". The Mother spoke first, her voice soft and fearful, but spoke with confidence. "Mira" she said. She looked to the father and teen. "This is my husband Barnick, and my son Vuun". "You look like him" Vuun said. "Who?" Thane asked, but in his heart, he already knew. "The one who came and attacked us, the destroyer, who led that army of monsters. Thanos". The father, Barnick, still said nothing, but he had noticed the similarity also. "I had a daughter" He said finally. "Those monsters he commanded, they took her, and killed her". Thane lowered his head, and stood for a moment in silence. "I'm sorry. But now is no time to mourn. I know a place I can take you, just as I have others fleeing from Thanos. A place where you can be safe, if you come with me". The Luphamoids looked at each other, as if working out wether or not to trust Thane. Finally Barnick nodded. "We will go with you". he siad. Thane bowed to him, and shook Talos' hand once more. "Thank you friend. Today, you have given these people hope. I am grateful for that". Thane turned to Tex and Knok. "Shall I warm up the ship boss?" Knok grunted. "No. I want you and Tex here, on lookout. Nobody can know where we are going. The moon is a long way away". "You can count on us Thane" Tex said. "We will keep this secret safe". "Thank you both" Thane said. "Make sure you do, for all our sakes". SANCTUARY II, WARSHIP OF THANOS When Thanos found me, I became Cull Obsidian, his strongest warrior. I stood by him, loyal at all times, but as those times dragged on, and Glaive and Midnight joined our ranks, and the Black Order came into existence, I noticed that while Maw spoke for us, and our foes and allies spoke to him, and Glaive and Midnight, they rarely speak to me. What do they see me as? No more than a brute, a slab of violent flesh, made for nothing more than killing. They even call me names. Thanos' pet they called me. Glaive understands me, the way nobody else does. When I tinkered in my workshop, he came to me to request a weapon: one he could rely on to keep him alive, in more than one way. But on some days, I wonder how Thanos sees me, sending me on missions with Maw, letting him do all the talking for me. I don't care how my victims see me, their perspective won't keep them alive, but I want to be seen as more than a brute by my own allies, my only family I've ever had. '' "I have reached a decision " Thanos said, as the Black Order stood before him once more. "You must find Thane, and if need be, you must kill him. I cannot allow him tostand in the way of my destiny any longer". "Very well sire, your wish shall be fulfilled" Maw said, bowing low. "Now go my Order. Find my son, and insure he will not stand in our way again". The Black Order sat in the meeting room, waiting while Ebony Maw tapped in coordinates and locations to find Thane. Corvus was sharpening his glaive and Midnight stood by him, while Cull Obsidian sulked in the corner, watching on. "You look distressed Cull, what's wrong?" Midnight asked. "Nothing I'm fine" "I believe I have a fix on a last known location of Thane" Maw said. "He was seen by one of our Chitauri Scouts on Knowhere". "Good" Glaive said. "We can at least get this over with". "Does this venture not intrest you Corvus?" Maw asked. Glaive sighed. "Normally, yes, but this time, I'm not so sure. This is our fathers biological son, which makes him our adopted brother. Remember Black Swan? Our sister in arms?". "She was killed in battle Corvus. Their was nothing you could do" Proxima said. "I know, and I tried to save her. But to kill another one of us, after loosing her, it just doesn't seem right". Maw looked over at Corvus. "It doesn't matter Corvus. We have our commands from Thanos. They are the one thing we cannot ignore". Chapter 4: The Night Guard 15 YEARS AGO "Nice work kid" Proxima said, as she blocked a sword strike. "You train well". "I would say she could end up better than you Lady Midnight" Corvus said. "What do you say, Gamora?" Gamora smirked as she swung her sword at Proxima again. Proxima blocked and then swung her spear round, catching Gamora off guard, and sending her sword spinning into the air. Before Gamora could jump up, Corvus grabbed, it, and flung it back to her. Gamora gripped its hilt and swung again, slashing Proxima's arm. "Proxima!" Gamora cried. " Are you okay?". Proxima started laughing. "I'm impressed kid, really. You did great. Thanos was right. You will be the fiercest woman in the galaxy". Gamora smiled. "We can come see you train against Nebula later if you want" Corvus offered. Proxima opened her eyes. She scolded herself for thinking back. Gamora was a tratior the day she abandoned Thanos during the mission with Ronan. That was in the past. But she couldn't help but blame herself. She let Gamora go, train with Nebula instead of her and Corvus. She had even hoped that Gamora could join the Black Order, but she never had the chance to ask. She and Corvus treated Gamora like their own child, after they learned they wouldn't be able to have children of their own. The loss of Gamora hurt Midnight the most. Glaive watched her from afar. He knew what she was thinking about. "You have his location Maw?" Cull Obsidian asked. "I have where he was last seen. That does not mean he is present there currently" Maw said. "It's worth a look" Midnight said. Once again, she was desperate to focus on something else, Glaive noticed. She didn't want to remember Gamora. "Cull, power up the Lightsbane" Maw said. "We are going to Knowhere, and finding Thane". HALA, KREE CAPITAL "All of you were facing Kree justice until I found you, and gave you a choice. You all decided to join me rather than face execution. That pleases me. But I need names. Who do we have here?" Captain Glory asked. He had gone to Hala Grand Prison and selected a group of beings he though would be useful in his search, and as a opposition to the Black Order. First, an alien in dark grey armour, a black cape, and deathly pale skin stepped forwards. He looked Gla-Ree in the eyes, before speaking. "I am Nexus, former leader of the Grand Crimson Council. I assure you Captain, my dark magic can be of use to you". Glory turned to the others. "And the rest of you? I must say Nexus impresses me so far". A man stood up, at least Glory assumed he was. His body was humanoid, but made entirely out of a pinkish plasma, and instead of a humanoid head, he wore a headgear that looked like a large purple canister. As he walked, white sparks of energy sprung from his body. "Your name?" Glory asked. "Arthur Parks of Earth" The figure said. "But you can call me the Living Laser. I was assumed dead after being exposed to an overloading energy core, making me into this abomantion of existence. Eventully, your Kree captured me and wanted me as an infinite energy source, so forgive me but I'm rather sceptical about what you want me for". "I assure you Parks, that will be revealed" Glory insured him. Looking at the other two beings present both aliens. One was massive, at least nine feet tall, and bristling with armour. Under that, a squishy looking blue skin was protected, and glowing eyes gazed into Gla-Ree's own. "I am Titanus. Destroyer of cities" he said. "What a charming name" Nexus said from the back of the room. "And may I ask, how many cites have you destroyed?" "Many" Titanus said. "And if you don't stop blabbering, I might add you to my body count". "That's enough" Glory said. "Let'a not kill each other yet, we haven't even started". He looked down at the final alien. Her reptilian yellow eyes looked up at Glory. She was by far the strangest looking out of all of them. Thin slimy arms with four fingers, and from the waist down, a bundle of yellow tentacles moved her around. She could easily be mistaken as any ocean inhabiting creature, but her eyes gleamed with intelligence. Glory had seen it when he passed her cell. She had taken one look at him an studied him. "And you are?" He asked her. "They call me Mentacle" the alien replied. Glory noticed she hadn't moved her mouth, but he and the others had heard it. "A telepath. Not what I was expecting from you, but very interesting". "Why?" Mentacle spoke into his mind again, her voice high pitched, but sharp. "Is it my appearance, making me look like some creature that you would not give a second glace? Because I'm not some magical wizard casting spells and flying around? That's what makes me effective Captain Gla-Ree. I go unseen". "So you have the four of us together now" Nexus said. "Living Laser, Titanus, Mentacle, and myself. But you still haven't told us what you got us here for. What task do you need to be done without your precious Kree knowing? Because if you were being open about your plan, you would have had your own kind do the job, and not an assortment of criminals". "Keen deduction" Glory said, impressed. "You are right of course, the Kree cannot know what I need. It is beyond even them. You see, I once held power. But I soon learned that power is never permeant. In an instant, I lost that power and was cast aside like dirt. Forgotten. But then I found this". Captain Glory walked over to his desk and opened the case on it. Inside, gleaming sliver was a curved key, that reflected light like a prism. "This, my friends, is the Star Key, a legendary relic that holds mystical power. For centuries, it was held on Hala's vault. It now is in my possession". "Seriously? A key?" Living Laser said. "That's it?". "No" Glory said. "A key is useless without a lock it can open. In this case, its more than just a lock. The Star Key, you see, unlocks the Cosmic Crystal. The Crystal was created by the cosmic entity Aeternus, to house some of his energy. When unlocked, it bestowes that apon he who wields the Star Key, making them an immortal cosmic entity. They would become a god". "That's impossible. No mortal can wield that kind of power" Living Laser said. "The Cosmic Crystal allows them to" Glory said. "Imagine what we could accomplish with that sort of power. I could take control of every empire in the universe, one by one, and I know the best place to start". Glory paused, almost as if he was choosing how to structure his words. "We begin by bringing down the most feared empire in the galaxy, by toppling its leader. With this power, I can kill Thanos, and rule his emprie like a king". "Even if you do, we don't have a Cosmic Crystal lying around" Living Laser said sceptically. "Where will we even find one?". Glory laughed. "Parks, you need not worry, I have al, this covered. There is a reason their if four of you; to oppose the Black Order of Thanos. They seek what we seek, but do not know it yet. From what our Sovereign allies said, they are searching for Thane, and Thane is quite possibly the only being in the universe who has survived an encounter with the Cosmic Crystal, and he will know where it is hidden, and then we, The Night Guard, shall make it ours". Chapter 5: Allied ''For many species across the great expanse of the universe, few things are as important as family. It's the thing that sits most prominently in their mind when they go to war, the thing that's keeps them going, striving for their life goals. I never knew my real family, nor do I even remember them. My earliest memeories was fire, and screams, all around me. I remeber a figure walking calmly though smoke and flames, and extending a hand for me to take. Knowing no other way, I took it, and my path with Thanos began. He became my family. The Black Order became my family. When I lead my fathers armies into battle, I do it not out of pure bloodlust, as the Outriders surly do. I do it for maybe the only being I care about. But now, with this Order, to kill Thane, Thanos' only real family, it's the first time I have ever doubted an order, and by the edge of my Glaive, I will not make it my last. KNOWHERE, LAWLESS OUTPOST "We are landing at Knowhere now" Proxima Midnight said, as the Lightsbane touched down on a landing pad. "Remember, we are looking for Thane, and Thane alone. No drastic violence" Maw said, as they walked across the pad. "Why do you look at me when you say that?" Obsidian grunted. As the others talked, Corvus Glaive walked silently ahead, on the lookout for anything out of place, anything that could hint at the presence of the son of Thanos. To his suprise, he found nothing out of the ordinary, as least from a Knowhere standard, where normal was scarce. "Lets check the bar, shall we? I could use a drink" Proxima said. Corvus nodded and the entered Skrulli's Bar, the name lit up with feeble and flickering lights, flashing blue, then green. Corvus looked around with distaste. The bar was the typical dried up establishment he'd expect on the outpost. Still, unlike many bars he had vsisted, it was intact, and not a burnt and lonely wreckage on a planet they had razed. Ebony Maw gazed around, taking in every patron in the bar, no doubt asessing wether they posed the Black Order any threat. Proxima walked up to the Skrull serving drinks ans placed an order. The Skrull nodded and went behind the counter. Corvus turned around, to a gun pointed right at his face. "Well, you're an ugly one" the armed alien said. Behind him, two more aliens had stood up, and joined him, all with guns drawn. The bartender had noticed, and was silently reaching for his own concealed weapon. Violence was not tolerated at Skrulli's. "Make your next move very carefully" Glaive said slowly. "Make the wrong move, and I will kill you". The Alien laughed. "The guy last week said that, before we put a nice hole in his head and left his bloody corpse on the floor". Maw inspected the alien, and looked at him with a show of disgust. "A Ravager" he said simplify. "No suprise their is a lack of brains with you". The alien looked at Maw outraged. "YOU WANNA SAY THAT AGAIN PUNK?" He roared. Maw smiled, clearly enjoying the anarchy he was causing. "Why should I need to? Is your hearing impaired too, or is that just your intelligence?". The alien let out a scream of rage, and flung a meat cleaver at Maw. Patrons gasped out in shock. The bade remained still in the air, inches from Maw's face. Maw didn't moved an inch, and stared down the blade calmly. "What the? How?" The alien looked at his blade, still suspended in the air". Again, Maw smiled. "A nice throw. But you see when I do it, it's fatal ". Maw raised his hand, and the blade turned around, firing back at the alien. The Cleaver dug into his chest, and the Alien dropped to the floor. His teammates looked at their allies body, and ran screaming from the bar. Proxima looked up from her drink, looking to the body, then to Maw. She shrugged and returned to her drink. "Well, that was a bit of fun, sorry if I stole your kill Corvus" Maw said. "It was much more enjoyable to watch it this time" Corvus replied. Cull looked past them and blinked. "Looks like the nights not over yet" he said. "Someone wants to see us". The others looked and saw a green Luphamoid sat next to a hulking Kronan waving them over. "Considering our currnet luck in our hunt, maybe we should see what they have to say" Proxima said. "And if it's useless, we can kill them". The Black Order walked over the the table, as a rather annoyed looking android walked over to the Ravager's carcass , and brushed it out the door with a large mop. Corvus and Proxima sat down facing the pair, while Ebony and Cull remained standing. "First off, I must say, that was an excellent performance. That old alien had been nothing but a pain for years" the Luphamoid said. "I'm honestly glad you went and killed him". "What do you want?" Corvus asked. "Because of you want to share his fate, I can certainly grant it". "Oh no, I have no wish to die. My name is Tex, this is Knok, and lucky for you, I know who you are already". "Really?" Corvus said, with forced sarcasm. "Well, thats a shame, because you aren't supposed to". Cull hefted his Chain Hammer, in the form of a sword, in Tex's direction. "Whoa, no need for that just yet guys" Tex said. "Look, I know what your after, and I can help. We both can". "How do you know, may I ask?" Maw asked. "I assumed our mission brief was entirely private". "The Black Order ain't the only hunters after Thanos' son" Tex said. "We found him. And we know where he's going" Knok said. "If you are with us, meet us in Landing Pad Seven. No later than a hour". Corvus stood up, and he and the others walked out the bar. "Why did you lie boss? Knok asked. "We would never be with Thanos". "They have potential Knok. Besides, we can delay them if we can, make sure Thane gets to the moon of Hala on time. If I'm being honest, I hope this Black Order can prove to be more than slaves of the Mad Titan" Tex said. "Come on, lets go meet our new teammates". Tex and Knok reached Landing Pad Seven, and Tex couldn't help being impressed. The Lightsbane was a state of the art ship, one of the latest in calling technology. But then again, having a galactic warlord with expansive resources at your side must help when it comes to wrangling the lastest weapons. "So, I never got your names" Tex said. "Who do we have here?". "That's none of your concern Luphamoid" Proxima said. "My names not Luphamoid. It's Tex". Proxima blinked, and suddenly, she was in the training room again, with Gamora, and their latest. addition, Nebula. "Train harder and stronger Luphamoid" Proxima had said, after Gamora had defeated her. "My names not Luphamoid. It's Nebula". Nebula had replied, before getting up and fighting Gamora again. "Hello? Proxima?" Corvus looked at her, concerned. "You okay?". Midnight blinked again. "I'm fine" she said quickly. "So names?" Tex inquired again. "I am Ebony Maw. This is Proxima Midnight, Corvus Glaive, and Cull Obsidian" Maw spoke calmly. "If you have information regarding Thane, please give it to use now, so we may begin". "I'm afraid that'll have to wait" Corvus said suddenly. "Thanos just made contact. We have a priority mission. The Sakaarans are uprising, and if we don't get their fast, Thanos could lose a large chunk of his army". "Call in the Outriders Corvus. We shall go to Lefar" Ebony said, looking at Tex and Knok. "If you wish to side with us, you are coming too". Chapter 6: To War Hear me, and rejoice. We are the Black Order, the warmasters of Thanos, his most elite, and most feared warriors. Lend me your ears, and let my words flow though you, filling your mind with glorious visions of our great conquests, and the mighty Titan. The smart learn to fear and submit. The brave are often the foolish, both perish by our hand. Thanos rules an empire that has struck fear across the universe for centuries. So how can the Sakaarans find the will to rise against him? My words are my weapon, even more than my powers, as they can sway even the most level of minds. My work is often psychological, sowing chaos and disorder, while assuring all parties are loyal to Thanos. So what being is behind this uprising, with words to speak over me? The others all believe that the threat lies in the upswing itself. I do not. I know the threat that will be most dangerous, is the one who swayed them to radicalism in the first place. LEFAR, OUTPOST PLANET ON THE EDGE OF THANOS'S TERRITORY "Well, they certainly are unhappy about something" Knok said, looking out from the Lightsbane to the army below. The Sakaarans were all armed, and Necorcrafts and even stolen Chitauri tanks were present. "They will pay for crossing Thanos" Proxima said. "The Outrider deployment ships are incoming now". Sure enough, the spire like vessels were flying though the sky like shooting stars, heading for the Sakaaran army. "This makes no sense" Corvus said. "Why is this Colony the only one uprising? Why just Lefar and not all the others?". "It makes no sense for it to be the Sakaarans anyway Corvus" Ebony said. "I expected the Chitauri to be the ones we would need to watch out for, since the incident on Earth and the death of The Other". "Let us land, at least" Proxima said. "And end this futile fighting". The Lightsbane touched down on the planet, and Proxima and Glaive darted out. Glaive stood at the crest of the hill, his blade gleaming in the morning sun. Cull activated his chain Hammer. Maw calmly rose into the air, a mass od rocks and debris spinning round under him like a mini tornado. Knok and Tex walked out. Knok held a massive axe, while Tex ingnited tied his Ion Staff. "There's no way we can take them all alone" Tex said. "There's hundreds". "Scared?" Obsidian mocked. "Not to worry, the Outriders will be dropping in any second. Then the fun will really begin". As if on que, the dropships landed, seven in all, and their front doors swung open. Tex almost had a panic attack. Hundreds of creatures, running and snarling, charged out. The Outriders had arrived. Normally, they functioned with a hive-Mind, and their queen, Hivemind, commanded them from the Sanctuary II. But today, Corvus Glaive was their leader, and they would obey the Black Order members every command. Glaive raised his blade and let out a harsh growl. The Outriders screamed out in response. "CHARGE!" Glaive roared. The Outriders dashed down the hill, crashing into the oncoming Sakaaran forces, and the bloodbath began. Tex soon saw the Outriders were anything but subtle. They literally ripped the enemy apart, making a bloody mess in seconds. Corvus spun his Glaive and struck down foes in his way, while Cull Obsidian waded though the Sakaarans, flinging his Hammer into the crowd, and recalling it back to his hand. Proxima flung her own weapin forwards, her spear piercing right though rows of Sakaarans with ease. But it was Ebony Maw who amazed Tex the most. He was unfazed by the army around him trying to kill him. The very ground was manipulated by Maw, as it rose around the Sakaarans nearest to Maw and crushed them, before flinging their lifeless bodies away. Tex couldn't help being impressed. "Forwards!" Corvus commanded. The Outriders followed his order, and pushed the Sakaarans back. "There's a stronghold up ahead" Cull yelled out. "They could he holding their leader there". Maw surgeed forwards, making his way swiftly towards the dark grey building ahead. Tex tried to follow, but was suddenly kicked down by a Sakaaran. The Sakaaran raised his dagger, but before could strike Tex down, a golden blade pierced though his chest. He fell to the ground to reveal Corvus Glaive standing behind him, his Glaive dripping with Sakaaran blood. Glaive said nothing, but extended a hand for Tex to take, pulling him onto his feet. "We have a battle to win" Glaive said. "Try not to die before we gain victory". Maw reached the stronghold, and found himself quickly surronded by Sakaarans. "You are committing treason against the great Titan" Maw warned them. "The price to pay is death. Your leader must pay it, but you need not. Take me to him, and all is forgiven". Maw's words, his powerful manipulative words, weaved their way into the weak minded Sakaarans. They listened ,and found reasoning within Ebony Maw's speech. One by one, the group lowered their weapons. "Now, you shall take me to your leader" Maw insisted. A Sakaaran nodded, and bowed. "Now, I.. shall take you to my leader". The Sakaarans led Maw inside the stronghold, and down its winding halls. Maw knew that no Sakaaran had the will to start this, and knew that something far more sisnster was going on, than a simple uprising. But as to what, he did not know. He soon would. "The Sakaarans are retreating!" Knok yelled. "Victory is ours!". "Not yet" Tex said. "Didn't Maw rush ahead? Where is he?" Corvus cursed. "Trust Ebony Maw to go ahead to the stronghold alone. The Sakaraans will be retreating, right back to the stronghold and overwhelm him!". "Then why are they dropping their weapons?" Tex asked. Sure enough, the Sakaarans were leaving their weapons behind as they fled, showing no resistance to the Outriders massacring them. "Call off the Outriders" Proxima said. "Let's finish this ourselves". The Order, Tex and Knok, fought though the fleeing Sakaarans to the stronghold, and finding it already open, rushed inside. "Ahead!" Corvus said as they ran. "Its Maw!". Ebony Maw had his arm raised, levitating a Sakaaran General into the air. His helmet had been ripped off, and lay discarded on the ground. His face was a mess, looking like it had been slammed against a wall multiple times before being dragged across the ground. "General Xarlek, I will not ask again. Who called for the uprising? I know it was not you" Maw asked, living Xarlek higher still. "I Don't know!" Xarlek pleaded. "I don't remember anything! Really!". "You command this base General. You are the only one here capable of giving the order. Who told you to do it?" "Maw!" Glaive finally caught up to him. "You got Xarlek. Impressive". "Yes. But I fear our General is not behind this uprising, Xarlek doesn't have the brains to commit to such an act of treason". "The Black Order" Xarlek spoke, but the voice was not his own. It was a rasping voice, full of content, and mocking amusement. "You took the bait, you fools. You are too late now. Did you really think you and your hunter friends are the only ones who hunt Thane? Thanks to you, we shall reach him first, and his secret will be ours. You have lost". Glaive hissed, and without warning, swung his Glaive. Xarlek dropped, his head rolling across the floor. "Hey, you didn't let the evil voice finish gloating" Tex said. "I didn't need to. It said enough" Glaive said. "Whatever's going on, Thane is at the center of it. And if their are others after him, ones strong enough to cause revolt in Thanos' own ranks, then we now have a far greater problem". "Let us return to the Sanctuary II and alert Thanos" Maw said. "Then, we get to the bottom of this, and find who has been playing us. He shall pay dearly for this". To Be Continued: Black Order: Volume TwoCategory:Black Order (Earth-2020)